Targeted Peripheral Nerve-directed Onabotulinumtoxin A Injection for Effective Long-term Therapy for Migraine Headache

Background: Onabotulinumtoxin A (BOTOX) is an FDA-approved treatment for chronic migraine headaches (MHs) that involves on-label, high-dose administration across 31 anatomic sites. Anatomically specific peripheral nerve trigger sites have been identified that contribute to MH pathogenesis and are amenable to both BOTOX injection and surgical decompression. These sites do not always correlate with the on-label FDA-approved injection pattern, but represent a more targeted approach. The efficacy of peripheral nerve–directed BOTOX injection as an independent long-term therapeutic option has not been investigated. Methods: The technique for peripheral nerve–directed therapeutic long-term BOTOX injection is described. A retrospective review was subsequently completed for 223 patients with MH. Sixty-six patients elected to proceed with diagnostic BOTOX injections. Of these, 24 continued long-term therapeutic BOTOX injections, whereas 42 matriculated to surgery. Outcomes were tracked. Results: Initial outcomes included significant improvement in migraine headache index (MHI) (53.5 ± 83.0, P

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Neprilysin inhibitors: A new hope to halt the diabetic cardiovascular and renal complications?

Publication date: June 2017
Source:Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, Volume 90
Author(s): Vajir Malek, Anil Bhanudas Gaikwad
Diabetes is an enormous and ever-growing calamity and a global public health threat of the 21st century. Besides insulin and oral hypoglycaemic drugs, blockage of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) denotes a key pharmacotherapy for the management of cardiovascular (CVD) and chronic kidney diseases (CKD), which are the leading causes of disability and death among diabetic patients. Neprilysin (NEP) inhibition, auxiliary to RAS blockage increases the bioavailability of natriuretic peptides and benefits the cardio-renal system. Omapatrilat, a dual angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and NEP inhibitor has been reported to show superior anti-hypertensive, anti-atherosclerotic, insulin-sensitizing, cardiovascular and renoprotective effects to ACE inhibitors in experimental animal models for diabetes. In clinical trials on hypertensive subjects Omapatrilat increased the risk of angioedema due to which its further development as anti-hypertensive drug was hampered. This event prompted the development of angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitors (ARNi). The first representative of ARNi, LCZ696 (Sacubitril/ Valsartan) halted cardiovascular and renal functional decline and hence protected against CKD and CVD. Recently, LCZ696 was approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of heart failure. This concise review intends to summarise the currently available reports on NEPi as a therapeutic intervention to treat CVD and CKD associated with diabetes.

Graphical abstract

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Antibacterial, antifungal and antimycobacterial compounds from cyanobacteria

Publication date: June 2017
Source:Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, Volume 90
Author(s): Shasank S. Swain, Sudhir K. Paidesetty, Rabindra N. Padhy
Infections from multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogenic bacteria, fungi and Mycobacterium tuberculosis remain progressively intractable. The search of effective antimicrobials from other possible non-conventional sources against MDR pathogenic bacteria, fungi and mycobacteria is call of the day. This review considers 121 cyanobacterial compounds or cyano-compounds with antimicrobial activities. Chemical structures of cyano-compounds were retrieved from ChemSpider and PubChem databases and were visualized by the software ChemDraw Ultra. Chemical information on cyano-compounds pertaining to Lipinski rules of five was assessed. The reviewed cyano-compounds belong to the following chemical classes (with examples): alkaloids (ambiguine isonitriles and 12-epi-hapalindole E isonitrile), aromatic compounds (benzoic acid and cyanobacterin), cyclic depsipeptides (cryptophycin 52 and lyngbyabellin A), cyclic peptides (calophycin and tenuecyclamides), cyclic undecapeptides (kawaguchipeptins and lyngbyazothrin A), cyclophane (carbamidocyclophane), extracellular pigment (nostocine A), fatty acids (alpha-dimorphecolic acid and majusculonic acid), linear peptides (muscoride A), lipopeptides (fischerellins and scytonemin A), nucleosides (tolytoxin and tubercidin), phenols (ambigols and 4-4′-hydroxybiphenyl), macrolides (scytophycin A and tolytoxin), polyketides (malyngolide and nostocyclyne), polyphenyl ethers (crossbyanol A), porphinoids (tolyporphin J) and terpenoids (noscomin and scytoscalarol). Cyanobacteria appear to be a diverse source of compounds with antimicrobial activity. Further attention is required to elucidate whether those could be applied as pharmaceuticals.

Graphical abstract

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Preparation of pure tungsten via various rolling methods and their influence on macro-texture and mechanical properties

Publication date: 15 July 2017
Source:Materials & Design, Volume 126
Author(s): Xiaoxin Zhang, Qingzhi Yan, Shaoting Lang, Yijia Wang, Changchun Ge
It's necessary to investigate the texture characteristics of tungsten (W) to improve the functional properties and structural performance simultaneously. Rolling route is an important factor influencing texture evolution of metal. Thus W billets were deformed via unidirectional rolling (UNR), cross rolling (CRR) and clock rolling (CLR) respectively to figure out the effect of strain path on the evolution of microstructures, macro-textures and mechanical properties. The results indicated that the unidirectional rolled pure W exhibited moderate dynamic recrystallization level, pronounced θ-fiber texture and weak γ-fiber texture. Besides, the unidirectional rolled sample showed lower bending strength compared to the cross and clock rolled samples. Crack-tips and high texture level resulted in the low bending strength of the unidirectional rolled pure W. Summarily, to obtain more low crystallographic index texture components and high bending strength simultaneously, W can be deformed via UNR with moderate deformation degree but not CRR and CLR.

Graphical abstract

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Fc-Optimized Anti-CD25 Depletes Tumor-Infiltrating Regulatory T Cells and Synergizes with PD-1 Blockade to Eradicate Established Tumors

Publication date: Available online 11 April 2017
Source:Immunity
Author(s): Frederick Arce Vargas, Andrew J.S. Furness, Isabelle Solomon, Kroopa Joshi, Leila Mekkaoui, Marta H. Lesko, Enrique Miranda Rota, Rony Dahan, Andrew Georgiou, Anna Sledzinska, Assma Ben Aissa, Dafne Franz, Mariana Werner Sunderland, Yien Ning Sophia Wong, Jake Y. Henry, Tim O'Brien, David Nicol, Ben Challacombe, Stephen A. Beers, Samra Turajlic, Martin Gore, James Larkin, Charles Swanton, Kerry A. Chester, Martin Pule, Jeffrey V. Ravetch, Teresa Marafioti, Karl S. Peggs, Sergio A. Quezada
CD25 is expressed at high levels on regulatory T (Treg) cells and was initially proposed as a target for cancer immunotherapy. However, anti-CD25 antibodies have displayed limited activity against established tumors. We demonstrated that CD25 expression is largely restricted to tumor-infiltrating Treg cells in mice and humans. While existing anti-CD25 antibodies were observed to deplete Treg cells in the periphery, upregulation of the inhibitory Fc gamma receptor (FcγR) IIb at the tumor site prevented intra-tumoral Treg cell depletion, which may underlie the lack of anti-tumor activity previously observed in pre-clinical models. Use of an anti-CD25 antibody with enhanced binding to activating FcγRs led to effective depletion of tumor-infiltrating Treg cells, increased effector to Treg cell ratios, and improved control of established tumors. Combination with anti-programmed cell death protein-1 antibodies promoted complete tumor rejection, demonstrating the relevance of CD25 as a therapeutic target and promising substrate for future combination approaches in immune-oncology.

Graphical abstract

Teaser

Anti-CD25 antibodies have displayed only modest therapeutic activity against established tumors. Arce Vargas et al. demonstrate that existing anti-CD25 antibodies fail to deplete intra-tumoral Treg cells due to upregulation of FcγRIIb within tumors. Fc-optimized anti-CD25 mediates effective depletion of tumor-infiltrating Treg cells and synergizes with PD-1 blockade to promote tumor eradication.


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NAIP-NLRC4 Inflammasomes Coordinate Intestinal Epithelial Cell Expulsion with Eicosanoid and IL-18 Release via Activation of Caspase-1 and -8

Publication date: Available online 11 April 2017
Source:Immunity
Author(s): Isabella Rauch, Katherine A. Deets, Daisy X. Ji, Jakob von Moltke, Jeannette L. Tenthorey, Angus Y. Lee, Naomi H. Philip, Janelle S. Ayres, Igor E. Brodsky, Karsten Gronert, Russell E. Vance
Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) form a critical barrier against pathogen invasion. By generation of mice in which inflammasome expression is restricted to IECs, we describe a coordinated epithelium-intrinsic inflammasome response in vivo. This response was sufficient to protect against Salmonella tissue invasion and involved a previously reported IEC expulsion that was coordinated with lipid mediator and cytokine production and lytic IEC death. Excessive inflammasome activation in IECs was sufficient to result in diarrhea and pathology. Experiments with IEC organoids demonstrated that IEC expulsion did not require other cell types. IEC expulsion was accompanied by a major actin rearrangement in neighboring cells that maintained epithelium integrity but did not absolutely require Caspase-1 or Gasdermin D. Analysis of Casp1^–/–Casp8^–/– mice revealed a functional Caspase-8 inflammasome in vivo. Thus, a coordinated IEC-intrinsic, Caspase-1 and -8 inflammasome response plays a key role in intestinal immune defense and pathology.

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Teaser

Rauch et al. show that selective activation of the NLRC4 inflammasome in intestinal epithelial cells leads to a coordinated response that includes cell expulsion and eicosanoid and cytokine release. This is not fully dependent on Caspase-1, as cell expulsion can also be caused by Caspase-8 activated by NLRC4.


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Polycomb Repressive Complex 2-Mediated Chromatin Repression Guides Effector CD8+ T Cell Terminal Differentiation and Loss of Multipotency

Publication date: Available online 11 April 2017
Source:Immunity
Author(s): Simon M. Gray, Robert A. Amezquita, Tianxia Guan, Steven H. Kleinstein, Susan M. Kaech
Understanding immunological memory formation depends on elucidating how multipotent memory precursor (MP) cells maintain developmental plasticity and longevity to provide long-term immunity while other effector cells develop into terminally differentiated effector (TE) cells with limited survival. Profiling active (H3K27ac) and repressed (H3K27me3) chromatin in naive, MP, and TE CD8⁺ T cells during viral infection revealed increased H3K27me3 deposition at numerous pro-memory and pro-survival genes in TE relative to MP cells, indicative of fate restriction, but permissive chromatin at both pro-memory and pro-effector genes in MP cells, indicative of multipotency. Polycomb repressive complex 2 deficiency impaired clonal expansion and TE cell differentiation, but minimally impacted CD8⁺ memory T cell maturation. Abundant H3K27me3 deposition at pro-memory genes occurred late during TE cell development, probably from diminished transcription factor FOXO1 expression. These results outline a temporal model for loss of memory cell potential through selective epigenetic silencing of pro-memory genes in effector T cells.

Graphical abstract

Teaser

Cytotoxic CD8⁺ T cells either terminally differentiate and die or form a rapidly responding population of memory T cells after pathogen clearance. Gray et al. define a temporal model for how effector T cells lose memory cell potential through selective epigenetic silencing of pro-memory genes.


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Tyrosine Kinase SYK Licenses MyD88 Adaptor Protein to Instigate IL-1α-Mediated Inflammatory Disease

Publication date: Available online 11 April 2017
Source:Immunity
Author(s): Prajwal Gurung, Gaofeng Fan, John R. Lukens, Peter Vogel, Nicholas K. Tonks, Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti
Mice carrying a hypomorphic point mutation in the Ptpn6 gene (Ptpn6^spin mice) develop an inflammatory skin disease that resembles neutrophilic dermatosis in humans. Here, we demonstrated that interleukin-1α (IL-1α) signaling through IL-1R and MyD88 in both stromal and immune cells drive inflammation in Ptpn6^spin mice. We further identified SYK as a critical kinase that phosphorylates MyD88, promoted MyD88-dependent signaling and mediates dermatosis in Ptpn6^spin mice. Our studies further demonstrated that SHP1 encoded by Ptpn6 binds and suppresses SYK activation to inhibit MyD88 phosphorylation. Downstream of SHP1 and SYK-dependent counterregulation of MyD88 tyrosine phosphorylation, we have demonstrated that the scaffolding function of receptor interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) and tumor growth factor-β activated kinase 1 (TAK1)-mediating signaling were required to spur inflammatory disease. Overall, these studies identify SHP1 and SYK crosstalk as a critical regulator of MyD88 post-translational modifications and IL-1-driven inflammation.

Graphical abstract

Teaser

Skin inflammation observed in a mouse model of neutrophilic dermatosis (Ptpn6^spin mice) is instigated by RIPK1 and IL-1α signaling axes, independently of IL-1β and inflammasomes. In this issue, Gurung et al. elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying RIPK1 and IL-1α mediated inflammatory disease in Ptpn6^spin mice. SHP1 regulates activation of spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK), which phosphorylates MyD88, to regulate inflammation.


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Lathyrol and epoxylathyrol derivatives: modulation of Cdr1p and Mdr1p drug-efflux transporters of Candida albicans in Saccharomyces cerevisiae model

Publication date: Available online 16 April 2017
Source:Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry
Author(s): Andreia Mónico, Shweta Nim, Noélia Duarte, Manpreet Kaur Rawal, Rajendra Prasad, Attilio Di Pietro, Maria-José U. Ferreira
Macrocyclic diterpenes were previously found to be able to modulate the efflux pump activity of Candida albicans multidrug transporters. Most of these compounds were jatrophanes, but only a few number of lathyrane-type diterpenes was evaluated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of nineteen structurally-related lathyrane diterpenes (1-19) to overcome the drug-efflux activity of Cdr1p and Mdr1p transporters of C. albicans, and get some insights on their structure-activity relationships. The transport assay was performed by monitoring Nile Red (NR) efflux in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain overexpressing the referred efflux pumps from C. albicans. Moreover, a chemosensitization assay was performed in order to evaluate the type of interaction between the inhibitory compounds and the antifungal drug fluconazole. Compounds 1-13 were previously isolated from Euphorbia boetica or obtained by derivatization, and compounds 14-19 were prepared by chemical transformations of compound 4. In the transport assays, compounds 14-19 revealed the strongest inhibitory activity of the Cdr1p efflux pump, ranging from 65 to 85%. Concerning Mdr1p efflux pump, the most active compounds were 1, 3, 6, 8, and 12 (75 to 85%). When used in combination with fluconazole, epoxyboetirane K (2) and euphoboetirane N (18) revealed synergistic effects in the AD-CDR1 yeast strain, overexpressing the Cdr1p transporter, through their ability to reduce the effective concentration of the antifungal drug by 23- and 52 fold, respectively.

Graphical abstract

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Sugar, perceived healthfulness, and satiety: When does a sugary preload lead people to eat more?

Publication date: 1 July 2017
Source:Appetite, Volume 114
Author(s): Naomi Mandel, Daniel Brannon
In this research, we examine the interplay between physiological and psychological factors that determine whether the sugar level of a preload increases or decreases consumption on a subsequent snack-eating task. In study 1, participants who drank a high-sugar protein shake (which they believed to be healthy) consumed more subsequent snacks than participants who drank a low-sugar protein shake. Study 2 replicated these findings, but only when the shake was labeled as "healthy." When the shake was labeled as "indulgent," the effect was mitigated.



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A dataset of multi-contrast population-averaged brain MRI atlases of a Parkinson's disease cohort

Publication date: Available online 15 April 2017
Source:Data in Brief
Author(s): Yiming Xiao, Vladimir Fonov, M. Mallar Chakravarty, Silvain Beriault, Fahd Al Subaie, Abbas Sadikot, G. Bruce Pike, Gilles Bertrand, D. Louis Collins
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that primarily affects the motor functions of the patients. Research and surgical treatment of PD (e.g., deep brain stimulation) often require human brain atlases for structural identification or as references for anatomical normalization. However, two pitfalls exist for many current atlases used for PD. First, most atlases do not represent the disease-specific anatomy as they are based on healthy young subjects. Second, subcortical structures, such as the subthalamic nucleus (STN) used in deep brain stimulation procedures, are often not well visualized. The dataset described in this Data in Brief is a population-averaged atlas that was made with 3T MRI scans of 25 PD patients, and contains 5 image contrasts: T1w (FLASH & MPRAGE), T2⁎w, T1–T2⁎ fusion, phase, and an R2⁎ map. While the T1w, T2⁎w, and T1–T2⁎ fusion templates provide excellent anatomical details for both cortical and sub-cortical structures, the phase and R2⁎ map contain bio-chemical features. Probabilistic tissue maps of whiter matter, grey matter, and cerebrospinal fluid are provided for the atlas. We also manually segmented eight subcortical structures: caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus internus and externus (GPi & GPe), thalamus, STN, substantia nigra (SN), and the red nucleus (RN). Lastly, a co-registered histology-derived digitized atlas containing 123 anatomical structures is included. The dataset is made freely available at the MNI data repository accessible through the link http://ift.tt/2pFF1DR.



http://ift.tt/2nRPhwh

Data on the effect of in vivo knockdown using artificial ErbB3 miRNA on Remak bundle structure

Publication date: Available online 15 April 2017
Source:Data in Brief
Author(s): Yuki Miyamoto, Tomohiro Torii, Kazuko Kawahara, Masashi Inoue, Takako Morimoto, Masahiro Yamamoto, Junji Yamauchi
Mature Schwann cells, the peripheral nervous system (PNS) glial cells, have two major roles for neuronal axons [1]. For large diameter axons, Schwann cells form myelin sheaths with multiple layers. For small diameter axons, they form Remak bundle composed only of single layer of the Schwann cell plasma membrane. In the PNS, ErbB3 forms a dimer with ErbB2 on the Schwann cell plasma membrane. ErbB3 plays a key role in myelination by myelinating Schwann cells, that is to say, its role in myelin thickness. Herein we provide the data regarding the effect of in vivo knockdown of ErbB3 on the thickness between an axon and a neighboring axon in Remak bundle, which is formed by non-myelinating Schwann cells. Since ErbB3 knockout mice are embryonically lethal, Schwann cell lineage-specific transgenic mice transcribing ErbB3 shRNA with an artificial miRNA backbone were generated and used in these experiments [2].



http://ift.tt/2nRRs33

[Data on anti-insulation detection via Point of Thermal Inflexion (PTI) in 1248 cases; 13 climates, four occupancy profiles, six wall configurations and four insulation levels]

Publication date: Available online 15 April 2017
Source:Data in Brief
Author(s): Yasin M. Idris, Masayuki Mae
The data in this article are the simulation results of 1248 cases that were carried out to detect anti-insulation behaviour in the article titled "Anti-insulation mitigation by altering the envelope layers' configuration" (Y. Idris and M. Mae, 2017) [1]. These cases are generated by a matrix of 13 climates, 6 envelope layer configurations, 4 occupancy profiles and 4 levels of insulation thickness. The data are concerned with the annual cooling and heating loads of these cases. In addition, the data include the Point of Thermal Inflexion (PTI) values and their anti-insulation pattern, when PTI is found. The PTI values are compiled in a single summary file and supplied as well. All These data are shared via this article where they can be reused in different ways, but mainly for serving researchers that intend to approach anti-insulation behaviour from different points of view.



http://ift.tt/2pFL4Z8

Path to Illness Intrusiveness: What Symptoms Impact the Life of People Living with Multiple Sclerosis?

Publication date: Available online 15 April 2017
Source:Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Author(s): Vanessa Bouchard, Pierre Duquette, Nancy E. Mayo
ObjectiveTo determine the direct and indirect effects of physical, emotional, and cognitive impairments on illness intrusiveness in people with MS.DesignSecondary analysis of a cross sectional data set collected in 2008 to identify gender differences in people living with MS.SettingThree MS clinics in the Greater Montréal region, Canada.ParticipantsA random sample of 135 women and 48 men diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis after 1995 recruited and evaluated in 2008.InterventionsNot applicableMain OutcomeIllness IntrusivenessMeasure(s)Illness intrusiveness rating scale (updated version using Rasch Analysis)ResultsPath analysis yielded a model that was significant (Non-normed fit index (NNFI):0.9913; Normed fit index (NFI):0.9846) with adequate fit of the data to the model (goodness of fit index: 0.9781; χ2: 21.41; p=0.2084). The model explained 55% of the variance of illness intrusiveness. Only emotional and physical aspects were represented in the model as no cognitive impairment stayed following variable reduction. The model showed the complete mediation effect of fatigue on the physical function variables.ConclusionsThis project brings new evidence towards the conceptualization of illness intrusiveness as a construct allowing future interventions that wish to target illness intrusiveness or disease impact to be designed. It also presented statistical evidence of the importance of treating fatigue not only as a symptom but also as a consequence of other impairments.



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Vitamins C and D

Publication date: Available online 15 April 2017
Source:Clinical Therapeutics
Author(s): Richard I. Shader




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Genetic predisposition to obesity affects behavioural traits including food reward and anxiety-like behaviour in rats

Publication date: 15 June 2017
Source:Behavioural Brain Research SreeTestContent1, Volume 328
Author(s): Heike Vogel, Maria Kraemer, Cristina Rabasa, Kaisa Askevik, Roger A.H. Adan, Suzanne L. Dickson
Here we sought to define behavioural traits linked to anxiety, reward, and exploration in different strains of rats commonly used in obesity research. We hypothesized that genetic variance may contribute not only to their metabolic phenotype (that is well documented) but also to the expression of these behavioural traits. Rat strains that differ in their susceptibility to develop an obese phenotype (Sprague-Dawley, Obese Prone, Obese Resistant, and Zucker rats) were exposed to a number of behavioural tests starting at the age of 8 weeks. We found a similar phenotype in the obesity susceptible models, Obese Prone and Zucker rats, with a lower locomotor activity, exploratory activity, and higher level of anxiety-like behaviour in comparison to the leaner Obese Resistant strain. We did not find evidence that rat strains with a genetic predisposition to obesity differed in their ability to experience reward from chocolate (in a condition place preference task). However, Zucker rats show higher motivated behaviour for sucrose compared to Obese Resistant rats when the effort required to obtain palatable food is relatively low.Together our data demonstrate that rat strains that differ in their genetic predisposition to develop obesity also differ in their performance in behavioural tests linked to anxiety, exploration, and reward and that these differences are independent of body weight. We conclude that genetic variations which determine body weight and the aforementioned behaviours co-exist but that future studies are required to identify whether (and which) common genes are involved.



http://ift.tt/2oMYgy2

Coil optimisation for transcranial magnetic stimulation in realistic head geometry

Publication date: Available online 15 April 2017
Source:Brain Stimulation
Author(s): Lari M. Koponen, Jaakko O. Nieminen, Tuomas P. Mutanen, Matti Stenroos, Risto J. Ilmoniemi
BackgroundTranscranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) allows focal, non-invasive stimulation of the cortex. A TMS pulse is inherently weakly coupled to the cortex; thus, magnetic stimulation requires both high current and high voltage to reach sufficient intensity. These requirements limit, for example, the maximum repetition rate and the maximum number of consecutive pulses with the same coil due to the rise of its temperature.ObjectiveTo develop methods to optimise, design, and manufacture energy-efficient TMS coils in realistic head geometry with an arbitrary overall coil shape.MethodsWe derive a semi-analytical integration scheme for computing the magnetic field energy of an arbitrary surface current distribution, compute the electric field induced by this distribution with a boundary element method, and optimise a TMS coil for focal stimulation. Additionally, we introduce a method for manufacturing such a coil by using Litz wire and a coil former machined from polyvinyl chloride.ResultsWe designed, manufactured, and validated an optimised TMS coil and applied it to brain stimulation. Our simulations indicate that this coil requires less than half the power of a commercial figure-of-eight coil, with a 41 % reduction due to the optimised winding geometry and a partial contribution due to our thinner coil former and reduced conductor height. With the optimised coil, the resting motor threshold of abductor pollicis brevis was reached with the capacitor voltage below 600 V and peak current below 3000 A.ConclusionThe described method allows designing practical TMS coils that have considerably higher efficiency than conventional figure-of-eight coils.



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Is There an Accurate Pre-operative Criterion for Dialysis Access Artery or Vein diameter?

Publication date: Available online 15 April 2017
Source:European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
Author(s): K.M. Cook, F.T. Padberg




http://ift.tt/2ojCz56

Commentary on “Five Year Natural History of Screening Detected Sub-Aneurysms and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in 70 Year Old Women and Systematic Review of Repair Rate in Women”

Publication date: Available online 15 April 2017
Source:European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
Author(s): R. Hultgren




http://ift.tt/2oMUO6C

Animal models for neuropsychiatric disorders: prospects for circuit intervention

Publication date: August 2017
Source:Current Opinion in Neurobiology, Volume 45
Author(s): Tobias Kaiser, Yang Zhou, Guoping Feng
Monogenic animal models for psychiatric diseases have enabled researchers to dissect the relationship between certain candidate genes, neural circuit abnormalities, and behavioral phenotypes along development. Early reports of phenotypic reversal after genetic restoration in mouse models sparked hope that genetic defects do not damage circuits irreversibly in early-onset disorders. However, further studies have suggested that only some circuits exhibit this plasticity, while many others require proper gene function during development. This review focuses on what we have learned from a few evolutionarily conserved circuit–phenotype relationships and their developmental windows to illustrate their importance when considering intervention strategies.



http://ift.tt/2oMQSTA

Evaluation of PM emissions from two in-service gas turbine general aviation aircraft engines

Publication date: July 2017
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 160
Author(s): Zhenhong Yu, David S. Liscinsky, Edward C. Fortner, Tara I. Yacovitch, Philip Croteau, Scott C. Herndon, Richard C. Miake-Lye
We determined particulate matter (PM) emissions in the exhaust plumes from two gas turbine aircraft engines: a CF34-3A1 turbofan engine and a TPE331-6-252B turboprop engine in a dedicated study on in-service general aviation aircraft. The engine power states were from 16% to 100% engine thrust. Both nucleation and soot mode particles were observed from the emission exhausts of the CF34-3A1 engine but only soot particle mode was detected from the TPE331-6-252B engine. For the CF34-3A1 engine, the contribution of soot mode to total PM emissions was dominant at high power, while at decreased engine power states nucleation mode organic PM became important. PM emissions indices of the TPE331-6-252B engine were found to be generally larger than those of the CF34-3A1 engine. For both engines, medium power conditions (40–60% of thrust) yielded the lowest PM emissions. For the TPE331-6-252B engine, volatile PM components including organic and sulfate were more than 50% in mass at low power, while non-volatile black carbon became dominant at high power conditions such as takeoff.



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Human health risk due to variations in PM10-PM2.5 and associated PAHs levels

Publication date: July 2017
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 160
Author(s): Beatriz S. Sosa, Andrés Porta, Jorge Esteban Colman Lerner, Roxana Banda Noriega, Laura Massolo
WHO (2012) reports that chronic exposure to air pollutants, including particulate matter (PM), causes the death of 7 million people, constituting the most important environmental risk for health in the world. IARC classifies contaminated outdoor air as carcinogenic, Group 1 category. However, in our countries there are few studies regarding air pollution levels and possible associated effects on public health.The current study determined PM and associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) levels in outdoor air, identified their possible emission sources and analysed health risks in the city of Tandil (Argentina). PM10 and PM2.5 samples were collected using a low volume sampler (MiniVol TAS) in three areas: city centre, industrial and residential. Concentrations were determined by gravimetric methods and the content of the US EPA 16 priority PAHs was found by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Description of the main emission sources and selection of monitoring sites resulted from spatial analysis and the IVE (International Vehicle Emissions) model was used in the characterisation of the traffic flow. Median values of 35.7 μgm^-3 and 9.6 μgm^-3 in PM10 and PM2.5 respectively and characteristic profiles were found for each area. Local values PAHs associated to PM10 and PM2.5, in general, were lower than 10ngm^-3. The estimated Unit Risk for the three areas exceeds US EPA standards (9 × 10⁻⁵). The number of deaths attributable to short term exposure to outdoor PM10 was 4 cases in children under 5 years of age, and 21 cases in total population, for a relative risk of 1.037.

Graphical abstract

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The net decay time of anomalies in concentrations of atmospheric pollutants

Publication date: July 2017
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 160
Author(s): Konstantin Y. Vinnikov, Russell R. Dickerson, Nickolay A. Krotkov, Eric S. Edgerton, James J. Schwab
This paper introduces a new parameter to characterize the random component in temporal variability of atmospheric pollutants and proposes a simple statistical technique for its evaluation. That parameter is the net decay time (or the time scale) of the local anomalies in concentrations of atmospheric pollutants, rather than the traditionally used chemical lifetimes of total amounts of the species. Using widely available data of hourly multi-year surface trace gas pollutant concentrations we demonstrate a simplified way to estimate the net decay time with an exponential approximation of lag-correlation functions. We assessed the decay times of fluctuations in observations of eight atmospheric pollutants (SO2, NO, NO2, NOy, O3, CO, NH3, and HNO3) at two urban sites and one cleaner rural site in the Eastern US. The time scales of temporal fluctuations (net decay times) vary from about one hour to slightly more than one day. These scales are generally much shorter in urban environments than in remote regions. We also compared day- and night-time observations in warm and cold seasons. At night in the cold season, time scales of fluctuations in atmospheric pollutants are usually the longest. Such estimates should be useful to air quality prediction, public health, and satellite remote sensing research communities.



http://ift.tt/2oD8joR

Problems associated with the emissions limitations from road transport in the Lubuskie Province (Poland)

Publication date: July 2017
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 160
Author(s): Maciej Dzikuć, Janusz Adamczyk, Arkadiusz Piwowar
According to the report of the World Health Organization (WHO) on the list of 50 cities with the most polluted air in Europe as many as 33 are located in Poland. All the cities that are on the list exceed the maximum concentration of dust recommended by WHO at least three times. In the Lubuskie Province there is a very serious problem of maintaining good air quality. The air in Poland is among the most polluted in the European Union and this also applies to less-industrialized areas, such as Lubuskie, where the concentration levels of substances hazardous to human health and the environment are recorded as exceeded. One of the main factors affecting the poor air quality in the region is road transport. It is not just a problem near roads with heavy traffic, but also applies to the cities, where there is a large movement of cars, which are often old and do not meet current environmental standards. This article aims to identify the main sources of low emission from road transport and identify potential solutions to help reduce emission from this sector. The actions aimed at limiting low emission from road transport can bring a significant positive ecological effect. The aim of this article is to review one of the main sources of low emission in the province of Lubuskie, which is transportation. Moreover, the authors of the paper indicate the main problems associated with the emission coming from road transport and describe the possibilities for opportunities to reduce pollution from this sector. In addition, the article presents the three-scenario simulation of annual emissions from passenger cars that could take place in 2020.



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Microphase separation and crystallization behaviors of bi-phased triblock terpolymers with a competitively dissolved middle block

Publication date: 19 May 2017
Source:Polymer, Volume 117
Author(s): Rui-Yang Wang, Xiang-Yue Wang, Bin Fan, Jun-Ting Xu, Zhi-Qiang Fan
A series of poly(ε-caprolactone)-b-poly(n-butyl acrylate)-b-polystyrene (PCL-b-PnBA-b-PS) triblock terpolymers with fixed PCL and PnBA block lengths but different PS block lengths were prepared. In all of these triblock terpolymers the PnBA block can be competitively dissolved in both the PCL and PS phases to form bi-phase structures in the melt, as revealed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Due to the "competitive dissolution effect" of the PnBA middle block, the microphase separation and crystallization behaviors of these triblock terpolymers are different from those of common diblock copolymers to some extent. As revealed by the Flory-Huggins parameters, more PnBA segments tend to dissolved in the PS phase. Therefore, the volume fraction of the PS-rich phase (fPS-rich) is evidently larger than the calculated volume fraction of the PS block (fPS), and the phase boundaries between two different structures shift to lower fPS. There also exists a thick interphase layer between the PS-rich and PCL-rich phases due to competitive dissolution of the PnBA block. However, confined crystallization can only occur at a larger fPS-rich, though the measured glass transition temperature (Tg) is high for the PS block. This can be attributed to a high fraction of the soft zone surrounding the PCL-rich phase and the lower volume fraction of the hard zone.

Graphical abstract

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Hybrid ionogels derived from polycationic polysilsesquioxanes for lithium ion batteries

Publication date: 19 May 2017
Source:Polymer, Volume 117
Author(s): Jin Hong Lee, Albert S. Lee, Soon Man Hong, Seung Sang Hwang, Chong Min Koo
A multifunctional crosslinkable and ionic-group functionalized ladder-like polysilsesquioxane was synthesized and utilized for the fabrication of hybrid ionogels for lithium ion batteries. The ionic-group functionalized ladder-like polysilsesquioxane combined the synergistic effects of hybrid materials in improving the thermal stability of conventional battery electrolytes, whilst maintain facile solution processability and chemically crosslinkable function in ionic conducting ionic liquid electrolyte media. Fabricated iongel electrolytes exhibiting exceptional thermal stability, mechanical properties, high ionic conductivity, and electrochemical stability. Lithium ion batteries fabricated with the hybrid ionic ladder-like polysilsesquioxane ionogels exhibited initial discharge capacities on par with neat liquid electrolytes, good rate performance, as well as stable cyclability and excellent Coulombic efficiency.

Graphical abstract

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A novel essential work of fracture experimental methodology for highly dissipative materials

Publication date: 19 May 2017
Source:Polymer, Volume 117
Author(s): C.G. Skamniotis, M.A. Kamaludin, M. Elliott, M.N. Charalambides
Determining fracture toughness for soft, highly dissipative, solids has been a challenge for several decades. Amongst the limited experimental options for such materials is the essential work of fracture (EWF) method. However, EWF data are known to be strongly influenced by specimen size and test speed. In contrast to time-consuming imaging techniques that have been suggested to address such issues, a simple and reproducible method is proposed. The method accounts for diffuse dissipation in the specimen while ensuring consistent strain rates by scaling both the sample size and testing speed with ligament length. We compare this new method to current practice for two polymers: a starch based food and a polyethylene (PE) tape. Our new method gives a size independent and more conservative fracture toughness. It provides key-data, essential in numerical models of the evolution of structure breakdown in soft solids as seen for example during oral processing of foods.

Graphical abstract

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Viscoelastic recovery behavior and imperfection in reactive polymer network of viscoelastic polyurethane memory foams

Publication date: 19 May 2017
Source:Polymer, Volume 117
Author(s): Kaoru Aou, Alan K. Schrock, Daniel Baugh, Rogelio R. Gamboa, Linda C. Ulmer
The relationship between polymer network parameters and speed of viscoelastic (VE) recovery was studied for viscoelastic polyurethane foams. Reactive network simulation method was developed which use relative reactivity parameters derived from literature and from experiment. Relative reactivity of butylene oxide (BO) based secondary hydroxyl groups were estimated by comparing simulation results with experimentally derived sol fraction. From the analysis, it is found that BO and propylene oxide (PO) hydroxyl end groups have relative reactivity to isocyanates that are not very different. We also find that the isocyanate conversion is lower only about 91–96%, even though the isocyanates are the limiting factor (i.e. molar ratio NCO:OH = 0.9). It is also found that a foam with faster VE recovery is predicted to have smaller elastically effective chain (EEC) mass fraction (i.e. more imperfect polymer network) and higher sol fraction. Surprisingly, the same foam after solvent extraction was found to have slower VE recovery. It is concluded for foam systems with Tg near ambient temperature, that while lower EEC fraction can lead to slower VE recovery, a large amount of sol fraction in the foam system can cause faster VE recovery via plasticization of the polyurethane matrix.

Graphical abstract

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Preparation and characterization of novel polysulphone hybrid ultrafiltration membranes blended with N-doped GO/TiO2 nanocomposites

Publication date: 19 May 2017
Source:Polymer, Volume 117
Author(s): Hang Xu, Mingmei Ding, Shan Liu, Yang Li, Zhen Shen, Kang Wang
N-doped graphene oxide (NRG), one of the graphene oxide derivatives, has been widely incorporated with TiO2 nanoparticles because they increase interfacial contact between graphene and TiO2 nanoparticles. However, introduction of NRG/TiO2 (NRGT) nanocomposites into the membrane matrix to improve the hydrophilicity, permeability, and antifouling properties of ultrafiltration membranes has not been studied. In this work, NRGT nanocomposite was synthesized by sol–gel reaction using NRG nanosheet suspension and tetrabutyl titanate. The synthesized NRGT nanocomposites were used as fillers at different ratios to fabricate novel hybrid ultrafiltration membranes through non-solvent-induced phase-separation method. SEM, FTIR, AFM, TGA, contact-angle experiments, and filtration experiments using water and BSA were performed to characterize the surface morphology, thermal stability, hydrophilicity, structure, pore size distribution, water permeability, and antifouling performance of the membranes. The membranes were found to have an asymmetric structure with high dispersibility of NRGT nanocomposites. They showed high hydrophilicity, permeability, and resistance to fouling with BSA solution, depending on the amount of NRGT nanocomposites blended.

Graphical abstract

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The formation of a nanohybrid shish-kebab (NHSK) structure in melt-processed composites of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)

Publication date: 19 May 2017
Source:Polymer, Volume 117
Author(s): Ellen L. Heeley, Darren J. Hughes, Eleanor M. Crabb, James Bowen, Oier Bikondoa, Beatriz Mayoral, Sandy Leung, Tony McNally
The combination of synchrotron Small- and Wide-Angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS), and thermal analysis was used to follow the evolution of crystalline morphology and crystallization kinetics in a series of melt-processed composites of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). The as-extruded PET-MWCNT composites underwent both hot and cold isothermal crystallizations where a final oriented nanohybrid shish-kebab (NHSK) crystalline structure was observed. An oriented NHSK structure was seen to persist even after melting and recrystallization of the composites. From the scattering data, we propose a model whereby the oriented MWCNTs act as heterogeneous nucleation surfaces (shish) and the polymer chains wrap around them and the crystallites (kebabs) grow epitaxially outwards during crystallization. However, depending on crystallization temperature, unoriented crystallites also grow in the polymer matrix, resulting in a combination of a NHSK and lamellar morphology. In contrast, the neat PET homopolymer showed the sporadic nucleation of a classic unoriented lamellar structure under the same isothermal crystallization conditions. These results provide a valuable insight into the distinctive modification of the crystalline morphology of melt-processed polymer-MWCNT composites prior to any secondary processing, having a significant impact on the use of MWCNTs as fillers in the processing and modification of the physical and mechanical properties of engineering polymers.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2oMiB6E